The Japanese government is taking uncomfortable steps to prepare its citizens for a possible future war that its military would not be able to avoid.

European firms are accelerating efforts to diversify away from Chinese supply chains as Beijing's self-reliance drive and export controls deepen global trade uncertainty, the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China said on Wednesday.

China’s massive lead in clean technologies has shifted the climate fight from one of big pledges and international diplomacy toward a technological revolution in cheaper energy, analysts say.

The joint anti-missile exercise did not target any third party, China’s Defense Ministry said.

Chinese firms are expanding in Vietnam, leading investment inflows and sending record shipments to Hanoi in defiance of U.S. calls for decoupling, as the Communist neighbours beef up ties. Recent steps that Hanoi had long resisted on security grounds include sensitive tech contracts for Chinese telecoms firms Huawei and ZTE;

A trade war begun by President Donald Trump early in his second term led China to halt its purchases of American soybeans.

Beijing is keeping the renminbi heavily undervalued against the euro, European companies have warned, giving Chinese exporters an advantage and raising the risk of increased trade retaliation. The warning from the EU Chamber of Commerce in China comes just days after data indicating the country’s annual goods trade surplus will exceed $1tn for the first time.

The former chief executive of Nexperia, a Dutch chipmaker, said Dutch officials had known for years that the company’s Chinese owner sought to move its technology to China.